Articles | Volume 26, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-135-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-135-2026
Research article
 | 
06 Jan 2026
Research article |  | 06 Jan 2026

Strong primary contribution to brown carbon light absorption in Tibet and urban areas: insights based on in situ measurements

Wenhui Zhao, Weiwei Hu, Zhaoce Liu, Tianle Pan, Tingting Feng, Jun Wang, Yiyu Cai, Lin Liang, Shan Huang, Bin Yuan, Nan Ma, Min Shao, Guohua Zhang, Xinhui Bi, Xinming Wang, and Pengfei Yu

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Cited articles

Andreae, M. O. and Gelencsér, A.: Black carbon or brown carbon? The nature of light-absorbing carbonaceous aerosols, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 6, 3131–3148, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-6-3131-2006, 2006. 
Bao, M., Zhang, Y.-L., Cao, F., Lin, Y.-C., Hong, Y., Fan, M., Zhang, Y., Yang, X., and Xie, F.: Light absorption and source apportionment of water soluble humic-like substances (HULIS) in PM2.5 at Nanjing, China, Environmental Research, 206, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2021.112554, 2022. 
Barrett, T. E. and Sheesley, R. J.: Year-round optical properties and source characterization of Arctic organic carbon aerosols on the North Slope Alaska, Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, 122, 9319–9331, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016jd026194, 2017. 
Bond, T. C. and Bergstrom, R. W.: Light Absorption by Carbonaceous Particles: An Investigative Review, Aerosol Science and Technology, 40, 27–67, https://doi.org/10.1080/02786820500421521, 2006. 
Brown, H., Liu, X., Feng, Y., Jiang, Y., Wu, M., Lu, Z., Wu, C., Murphy, S., and Pokhrel, R.: Radiative effect and climate impacts of brown carbon with the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM5), Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 17745–17768, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-17745-2018, 2018. 
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Short summary
Our study examined brown carbon organic aerosols that absorb light at the remote Tibet and urban Guangzhou. Field data showed Tibet’s brown carbon absorbs about 10 times less than Guangzhou’s, due to cleaner air. Yet, over 75 % of its light absorption still comes from primary emission, which causes over 98 % of its climate-warming effect in both places. This study advances understanding of brown carbon dynamics and its sources in diverse environments for global climate effects.
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